Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 129

In Santiago, Climate Change Fuels Choking Air Pollution

Thick clouds of heavy smog hung low in Santiago on Monday, a day of exceptional filth in Chile’s pollution-stricken capital city.

The haze forced more than 1,300 businesses to close after authorities declared an environmental emergency, the first of its kind since 1999. Approximately 80 percent of the city’s 1.7 million cars were forced to park, and 100 percent of the city’s 7 million people were warned to avoid outdoor activity. The warning was prudent — one of the last times this happened, an outbreak of influenza sent 3,500 children to the hospital every day.

Scientists have diagnosed Santiago with some of the “most serious air pollution problems in the world,” and the reasons amount to a perfect storm of sorts.

One is just business: The city is in the midst of an industrial boom, manufacturing everything from chemicals to textiles, which ultimately results in rising emissions. The second is location: Santiago is surrounded by mountain ranges, which trap smog in and refuse to let go.

The third reason Santiago’s pollution is so bad, though, is the most unpredictable. It’s the weather. For pollution to escape from within the clutches of the city’s mountains, it needs to rain. And though June is supposed to be one of the wettest months of the year, it is currently the driest it’s been in 47 years.

This is just one of the big threats that human-caused climate change poses to Santiago. Under a worst-case emissions scenario, rainfall is likely to drop by 10 percent in the area by 2040, and by up to 30 percent by the end of the century, according to an analysis by the Center for Global Change at Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica.

Less frequent rainfall means fewer opportunities for smog to escape, meaning more opportunities for prolonged pollution events that threaten the health of thousands. Of course, the effects of climate change are almost never black and white — another study predicted that, while Santiago will experience prolonged drought, precipitation events will be more extreme when they do occur, leading to flash flooding that could threaten drinking water supply.

As it happens, Santiago may be experiencing some side effects of climate change now, which may be worsening its current smog situation. Central Chile, where Santiago is located, has been in severe drought for eight years. And though it’s difficult to link specific extreme weather events to climate change, scientists have already linked this particular drought to the phenomenon, according to Reuters.

That’s bad news for the city, whose population is already experiencing a range of health problems amid frequent sitting smog. A 2014 study published in Science of the Total Environment found that airborne pollution exceeded European safety levels on three out of every four days. As airborne pollution increased, so did hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease, the Santiago Times reported.

Santiago officials have implemented measures to reduce smog. Since the city’s Atmospheric Decontamination and Prevention Plan was created in 1998, thousands of buses and trucks with inadequate pollution controls have been removed from the roads; dirt roads that sent particles flying into the air have been paved; open burning has been restricted; and regulations have been implemented to control industry emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.

But scientists have acknowledged that this hasn’t been enough. A 2014 study found that little had been done to reduce the major component of particulate matter in the city — soil particles.

In Santiago, the study found, a lot of pollution comes when very dry soil particles fly away from construction sites and dirt roads, picking up and transporting other chemical compounds with it. Frequent rainfall, the study said, likely helps make sure the soil particles don’t become dry enough to blow around.

As climate change worsens, however, frequent rainfall is becoming less likely in the region. Indeed, Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet is treating the current drought as permanent.

“Faced with this critical situation,” she said in March, “there is no choice but to assume that the lack of water resources is a reality that is here to stay.”

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The post In Santiago, Climate Change Fuels Choking Air Pollution appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Despite Poor Air Quality, Soccer Tournament Won’t Be Cancelled Or Suspended

Rupali Srivastava is an intern with ThinkProgress at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

After an exciting start to Copa América, South America’s largest and oldest soccer tournament, eight teams remain in a fight for the title in Chile’s capital. But a trophy may not be the only thing players fight for in the coming weeks — they could be fighting for their breath, too.

Air quality in Santiago has reached dangerous levels, prompting authorities to declare an environmental emergency for the first time in 16 years. Industries have shut their doors and cars are being kept off the roads, but there’s been no serious discussion about cancelling any tournament games.

Santiago’s smog problem is concerning for the players’ health and performance, according to sports medicine specialists. When running, athletes inhale higher amounts of air through the mouth, which “lacks the filter system of the nose.” An increased intake of air means an increased intake of pollutants.

To add to the smog problem, the lack of rain is worsening the city’s air quality, and along with it, possibly the respiratory health of soccer players, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

#Chile en alerta por alto grado de contaminación del aire en su capital. http://t.co/3Drz0D22zG Vía @inter_pl pic.twitter.com/wbz4G5mIQT

— Prensa Libre (@prensa_libre) June 22, 2015

The city of more than five million people has been grappling with the smog issue for years, but the air quality still remains a hazard to residents.

Jorge Tomas Asecio, a U.S. resident originally from Chile, told ThinkProgress the problem was hard to solve because of Santiago’s geography. “Santiago was built where it is, way back when, because cities in valleys were less prone to attack and were way easier to defend,” he said. “But it’s exactly that reason — the fact that Santiago is in a valley — that seems to really make the problem a tough task to fix.”

Santiago isn’t the first city to deal with serious air pollution problems during a major sporting event. When Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, much of the media coverage and discussion revolved around the country’s poor air quality. Pollution levels in the Chinese city were dangerously high leading up to the games, but improved after authorities banned certain vehicles, factories, and plants from operating. By the time the games began, pollution levels were under control and safe for athletes, according to Jacques Rogge, then-International Olympic Committee chief. But Rogge reiterated to the Guardian that outdoor events could be rescheduled in the event that smog levels increased.

Smog in Santiago has not been met with the same precaution in the lead-up to Copa América. City authorities and soccer federation officials alike have repeated that the games will not be cancelled or suspended, regardless of the risk posed by the poor air quality.

The city has implemented some regulations to try to bring pollution levels down, however. Residents with license plates ending in certain numbers are banned from driving on assigned days, firewood burning and outdoor barbecues are prohibited, and more than 900 industries aren’t open for business as the city tries to get its smog level under control.

For many Chilean fans, lighting up the grill before a soccer game is tradition. This year, they risk paying fines for violating environmental regulations if they want to barbecue outside. So far, these regulations haven’t done enough to control smog.

With the games starting up again on Wednesday and the city in a state of emergency on Monday, many believe other measures must be taken to protect players. But Santiago governor Claudio Orrego said disrupting the Copa América schedule was not an option, despite high smog levels.

“We’ve spoken with the authorities,” he told international news agency AFP. “And if there’s one thing we can’t do, it’s suspend a match.”

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The post Despite Poor Air Quality, Soccer Tournament Won’t Be Cancelled Or Suspended appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Smog Is Enveloping Santiago And Athletes Are Being Forced To Play In It

Rupali Srivastava is an intern with ThinkProgress at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

After an exciting start to Copa América, South America’s largest and oldest soccer tournament, eight teams remain in a fight for the title in Chile’s capital. But a trophy may not be the only thing players fight for in the coming weeks — they could be fighting for their breath, too.

Air quality in Santiago has reached dangerous levels, prompting authorities to declare an environmental emergency for the first time in 16 years. Industries have shut their doors and cars are being kept off the roads, but there’s been no serious discussion about cancelling any tournament games.

Santiago’s smog problem is concerning for the players’ health and performance, according to sports medicine specialists. When running, athletes inhale higher amounts of air through the mouth, which “lacks the filter system of the nose.” An increased intake of air means an increased intake of pollutants.

To add to the smog problem, the lack of rain is worsening the city’s air quality, and along with it, possibly the respiratory health of soccer players, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

#Chile en alerta por alto grado de contaminación del aire en su capital. http://t.co/3Drz0D22zG Vía @inter_pl pic.twitter.com/wbz4G5mIQT

— Prensa Libre (@prensa_libre) June 22, 2015

The city of more than five million people has been grappling with the smog issue for years, but the air quality still remains a hazard to residents.

Jorge Tomas Asecio, a U.S. resident originally from Chile, told ThinkProgress the problem was hard to solve because of Santiago’s geography. “Santiago was built where it is, way back when, because cities in valleys were less prone to attack and were way easier to defend,” he said. “But it’s exactly that reason — the fact that Santiago is in a valley — that seems to really make the problem a tough task to fix.”

Santiago isn’t the first city to deal with serious air pollution problems during a major sporting event. When Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, much of the media coverage and discussion revolved around the country’s poor air quality. Pollution levels in the Chinese city were dangerously high leading up to the games, but improved after authorities banned certain vehicles, factories, and plants from operating. By the time the games began, pollution levels were under control and safe for athletes, according to Jacques Rogge, then-International Olympic Committee chief. But Rogge reiterated to the Guardian that outdoor events could be rescheduled in the event that smog levels increased.

Smog in Santiago has not been met with the same precaution in the lead-up to Copa América. City authorities and soccer federation officials alike have repeated that the games will not be cancelled or suspended, regardless of the risk posed by the poor air quality.

The city has implemented some regulations to try to bring pollution levels down, however. Residents with license plates ending in certain numbers are banned from driving on assigned days, firewood burning and outdoor barbecues are prohibited, and more than 900 industries aren’t open for business as the city tries to get its smog level under control.

For many Chilean fans, lighting up the grill before a soccer game is tradition. This year, they risk paying fines for violating environmental regulations if they want to barbecue outside. So far, these regulations haven’t done enough to control smog.

With the games starting up again on Wednesday and the city in a state of emergency on Monday, many believe other measures must be taken to protect players. But Santiago governor Claudio Orrego said disrupting the Copa América schedule was not an option, despite high smog levels.

“We’ve spoken with the authorities,” he told international news agency AFP. “And if there’s one thing we can’t do, it’s suspend a match.”

Tags

Air PollutionFootballHealthSmogSoccer

The post Smog Is Enveloping Santiago And Athletes Are Being Forced To Play In It appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Researchers Offer A New Way To Link Extreme Weather And Climate Change

Reports of extreme weather events — the drought in California, the heat wave in India, historic blizzards in New England — always seem to be accompanied by an important caveat: it’s difficult to trace a single weather event’s cause back to climate change. That’s largely because the influence that climate change has on atmospheric circulation — the large scale movement of air around the globe that determines when certain weather patterns arrive where — is difficult to understand. Right now, computer climate models are not robust enough to measure the small impact that climate change, as opposed to natural variability, might have on atmospheric circulation.

But a new study, published in Nature Climate Change, argues that shortcomings in the understanding of how climate change and atmospheric circulation interact shouldn’t stop us from asking a different question: did climate change play a part in worsening the weather event, even if it would have occurred without climate change?

“Assume that that weather system would have occurred anyway,” Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist with the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and an author of the study, told the Washington Post, “and then ask the question how the change in the environment affected the outcome, in particular through higher temperatures, greater rainfalls, more rapid drying in the case of the drought — and these things are answerable.”

To look at how an extreme weather event might have been influenced by climate change, Trenberth and his colleagues set aside atmospheric circulation dynamics to look at another part of atmospheric science: thermodynamics, which is how moisture and temperature interact. Thermodynamics says that hot temperatures lead to greater evaporation of moisture, and hot air can also hold more moisture. This is why scientists think that with climate change, extreme precipitation events are going to become more common — the atmosphere, as it warms, will simply be able to hold more moisture that can come down as rain or snow.

In understanding how a specific weather event is related to climate change, Trenberth and his colleagues present a few questions researchers might ask, such as:

Given a particular weather pattern, how were the temperatures, precipitation, and associated impacts influenced by climate change?
Given a drought, how was the drying enhanced by climate change and how did that influence the moisture deficits and dryness of the soils, and the wildfire risk? Did it lead to a more intense and perhaps longer-lasting drought, as is likely?
Given a flood, where did the moisture come from? Was it enhanced by high ocean temperatures that might have had a climate change component?
Given a heat wave, how was that influenced by drought, changes in precipitation, and extra heat from global warming?
Given extreme snow, where did the moisture come from? Was it related to higher than normal surface sea temperatures off the coast or father afield?
Given an extreme storm, how was it influenced by anomalous surface sea temperatures and ocean heat content, anomalous moisture transports into the storm, and associated rainfall and latent heating? Was a storm surge worse because of higher sea levels?

Looked at through this lens, the researchers claim that the 2010 snowstorm that hit Washington, D.C. was worsened by ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic that were 1.5° Celsius above normal, causing an unusual amount of moisture to be funneled into the storm. They also note that Superstorm Sandy was preceded by warm ocean temperatures — at least partly attributable to climate change — and that human-caused sea level rise contributed to the storm’s damaging surge.

The 2013 floods in Colorado, when looked at through a thermodynamic lens, also have a strong association to climate change, the researchers argue. The rainfall event that caused the floods originated over a patch of Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico, where surface sea temperatures were 1° Celsius above normal — a warming that, Trenberth writes, “probably would not have occurred without climate change.”

Understanding how climate change impacts extreme weather events, the paper concludes, requires thinking about the interaction between storms and the changing environment in a new way — not just whether or not climate change made the storm more likely to occur, but whether or not climate change made the storm worse.

“The climate is changing: we have a new normal,” Trenberth and colleagues write. “The environment in which all weather events occur is not what it used to be. All storms, without exception, are different.”

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Climate ChangeExtreme Weather

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Study: The World Is In The Midst Of A Mass Extinction, And Humans Are To Blame

In the last century, certain kinds of animals have gone extinct up to 100 times faster than usual, according to new research.

There have been five documented mass extinctions in the Earth’s history, including when the dinosaurs were suddenly wiped out 65 million years ago. Those extinctions are thought to have been caused by natural disasters, such as massive, earth-darkening volcanic eruptions or cataclysmic asteroid strikes. But a study published Friday concluded that a sixth, human-caused mass extinction is happening now.

We are the problem, according to Gerardo Ceballos, one of the study’s authors and a professor at the Institute of Ecology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

“We know that we have been destroying habitat; deforestation is huge,” Ceballos told ThinkProgress. “Thousands of animals are being killed every year for trade, and also by pollution. All these factors, these human factors, are major, and now we have climate change.”

The results were incredibly, incredibly shocking

Climate change puts animals at risk in two ways, Ceballos said. One is increased extreme weather, such as a hurricane that hits Puerto Rico and damages the endangered Puerto Rican parrot population. The other is rising temperatures that delicate amphibians can’t adapt to. Both are contributing to the continued loss of biodiversity.

Based on the researchers’ data, published Friday in Advanced Sciences, over the course of the Earth’s existence, it would have taken up to 10,000 years for some of the species that have gone extinct in the last century to disappear.

The analysis is based on a “very conservative” estimate that looks only at vertebrate species and uses a high threshold of documentation for extinction, the study said.

“The results were incredibly, incredibly shocking,” Ceballos said. “To be honest… because we were using such conservative measures, I thought that we wouldn’t be able to find that we were going into a mass extinction.”

Previous studies have been criticized for being overly alarmist, which is why the researchers wanted to look at the issue with new criteria, but the idea of a sixth mass extinction isn’t new. Scientists and ecologists have been arguing for years that a sixth mass extinction is on its way.

According to the IUCN Red List, an international monitoring body, 22 percent of the world’s mammal species are known to be globally threatened or extinct. Since 1500, 76 mammals have disappeared. Nearly a third of the world’s amphibian species are threatened or extinct, and as many as 159 species may already be extinct. At least 38 amphibian species are confirmed to be extinct, while another 120 species have not been spotted in recent years and have possibly died off. (It can take years or even decades to confirm extinction, which is one reason the extinction rate in the study is considered conservative.)

Ceballos said protecting these animals is a moral duty, but it’s also in humanity’s self-interest. For instance, 75 percent of the medicines we currently use are derived from plant and animal compounds, he said.

“Every species we lose, we lose that,” Ceballos said.

The moral argument for environmentalism has gained traction lately, especially with the release of the pope’s encyclical on the environment and climate change. But some have argued that elevating animals over humans is immoral.

At the end of the day, though, we are dependent on the environment for our own existence, Ceballos pointed out.

“There are many reasons we should care about the extinction of species,” he said. “But if we save them, we are saving humans.”

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EPA: Limiting Climate Change Would Have Tremendous Benefits For The U.S.

Acting on climate change will have major economic, environmental, and health benefits, according to a report released Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The report analyzes two future climate change scenarios — one in which “significant global action” on climate change has limited warming to 2°C (3.6°F), and one in which no action on climate change has forced global temperatures to rise 9°F. The report documents the multiple benefits that the U.S would feel if major action is taken on climate change.

These benefits include a reduction of the frequency of extreme weather events and a lowered risk of extreme temperatures. According to the report, if the world limits warming to 2°C, 49 U.S. cities could avoid 12,000 deaths associated with extreme temperatures every year by 2100. Compared to a scenario with no action on climate change, that’s a 90 percent reduction in annual deaths. The report notes that, if the world doesn’t tackle greenhouse gas emissions, America’s number of extremely hot days is expected to more than triple between 2050 and 2100. And, it adds, the reduction in deaths from extreme cold that is expected to occur will be “more than offset” by the projected increase in heat-related deaths.

“Climate change is not a belief system — it is a fact. This is science,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy told CNN Monday. “So EPA is putting the science on the table. We’re providing all the information, and we’re showing that, in fact, if you actually take action today, you will save significant lives.”

[image error]

The EPA maps temperature-related deaths across the U.S. “Reference” in this case refers to a scenario where no action on climate change is taken.

CREDIT: Environmental Protection Agency

Those aren’t the only deaths expected to be avoided through action on climate change. The report also found that 13,000 air quality-related deaths would be avoided in 2050 and 57,000 such deaths would be avoided in 2100 if the world limits warming to 2°C.

In addition, the EPA looked at costs associated with combating climate change, particularly in terms of infrastructure damage. It found that with no action on climate change, annual road immanence costs would increase by $10 billion by the end of the century — whereas with action on climate change, up to $7 billion of those costs could be avoided. The report also looked at the impact climate change will have on bridges. It found that the costs of adapting bridges to climate change if no climate action is taken would total about $170 billion from 2010 to 2050, and $24 billion from 2051 to 2100.

“It’s pretty startling information,” McCarthy told CNN. “People should pay attention to it, but it’s hopeful as well. Because if we take action now globally, we can make a significant difference in the quality of the life of our children and we can make it a safer, healthier place for them.”

Paul Gunnig, director of the Climate Change Division in EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said on a press call Monday that the report didn’t look at specific global or U.S. policies that would limit warming to 2°C — instead, it just looked at scenarios under which warming would either be limited or allowed to continue. He also said the report only focused on the U.S. and didn’t take climate change in Alaska or other countries into account, which means that “the real benefits to the U.S. and the globe are expected to be much higher” than the report projects.

Along with the report, EPA also published a video introducing the benefits of acting on climate change.

Many of the EPA’s findings have been confirmed by other studies. In a 2013 report, the Center for American Progress laid out the economic cost of natural disasters in the U.S., finding that, between 2011 and 2012, 25 “billion-dollar damage” weather events in the United States caused up to $188 billion in total damage. Extreme heat has already been blamed for thousands of deaths in India this summer, and last year, the World Health Organization linked 7 million annual premature deaths to air pollution.

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Overwhelming Smog Forces Chile’s Capital To Declare Pollution Emergency

The Chilean government is forcing more than 900 industries to temporarily shut down in the face of an air pollution emergency in the capital city of Santiago, according to a Reuters report.

The country’s Environment Ministry declared the official emergency on Monday. It will last 24 hours, but can be extended if the situation doesn’t improve. In addition to shutting down businesses, the emergency dictates that approximately 40 percent of the city’s 1.7 million cars be forced off the roads.

Though cities in China and India usually grab the most headlines for choking air pollution, Chile’s capital city is no stranger to smog. A 2014 study in the journal Environmental Pollution characterizes Santiago as “one of the cities with the most serious air pollution problems in the world,” particularly during the winter.

Emissions from a growing number of vehicles, manufacturing industries, and wood-burning heaters — combined with the fact that the city is surrounded by mountain ranges that prevent air drainage — leave Santiago particularly vulnerable.

Air quality does significantly improve in Santiago when it rains. But the city hasn’t gotten much precipitation lately. According to the BBC, this June has been the driest since 1968. Central Chile has been in severe drought since 2007, an unprecedented long-term phenomenon that scientists have linked to climate change.

The current smog emergency in Santiago is the city’s first since 1999. A similar situation in 1996 sparked an influenza epidemic in the city, hospitalizing 3,500 children every day, according to the Los Angeles Times.

For now, residents of Santiago are also being advised to avoid outdoor exercise. However, the nearby Estadio Nacional stadium is set to host six games of the Copa America soccer tournament starting Wednesday. According to Phys.org, matches are not allowed to be cancelled because of air quality.

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It’s Not Just Climate — Pope Francis Is Also Warning About The Health Of Our Oceans

With the release of his encyclical “Laudato Si” on Thursday, Pope Francis made headlines for recognizing the threat of human-caused climate change.

But the encyclical also called attention to the world’s oceans, affirming just how vital they are to “our common home.” In Laudato Si, Francis talked about the unique threats marine environments face in a planet changed by humanity.

Below are six warnings from the Pope about the health of our oceans. Quotes from the encyclical are shown in italics, along with their corresponding passage number.

The polar plight

“The melting in the polar ice caps and in high altitude plains can lead to the dangerous release of methane gas, while the decomposition of frozen organic material can further increase the emission of carbon dioxide.” [24]

Global warming is happening at a greater degree at Earth’s poles in a dangerous positive feedback cycle advanced by the high reflectivity of ice. As white, energy-reflecting snow and ice melts, it becomes darker, energy-absorbing water and land. If left uncurbed, warming will melt polar permafrost, unlocking frozen, ancient carbon and accelerating climate change.

Sea level rise

“A rise in the sea level…can create extremely serious situations, if we consider that a quarter of the world’s population lives on the coast or nearby, and that the majority of our megacities are situated in coastal areas.” [24]

Scientists say sea level rise could reach as much as six feet by the end of the century. Rising sea levels have already encroached upon island communities like Kiribati, leaving little land to live on and leaving citizens faced with the likelihood of becoming the world’s first climate refugees. And here in the U.S., sea level rise also leads to more frequent flooding and more severe coastal storm damage.

Ocean acidification

“Carbon dioxide pollution increases the acidification of the oceans and compromises the marine food chain. If present trends continue, this century may well witness…an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us.” [24]

The ocean absorbs at least one quarter of emitted carbon dioxide, which increases the acidity of seawater through chemical reactions. Many marine species are highly sensitive to these changes, as they can only tolerate narrow ranges of pH. Oysters, clams and other shellfish are especially vulnerable because acidification make it more difficult for them to form the calcium carbonate that comprises their shells. Corals also struggle to build their skeletons in acidified water, to the detriment of the highly diverse array of species that depend on coral reefs.

Ocean-bound water pollution

“Underground water sources in many places are threatened by the pollution produced in certain mining, farming and industrial activities, especially in countries lacking adequate regulation or controls. It is not only a question of industrial waste. Detergents and chemical products, commonly used in many places of the world, continue to pour into our rivers, lakes and seas.” [29]

The eight million tons of plastic waste entering our oceans each year can entangle, starve or poison marine life, while agricultural pollution has led to downstream nutrient and bacterial contamination at levels unsafe for human exposure, also causing massive dead zones in coastal waters around the globe in which sea life cannot exist. Chemical and heavy metal pollution from household or industrial products, mining, and emissions from burning fossil fuels threaten human and marine health, too.

Overfishing and seafood bycatch

“Marine life in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, which feeds a great part of the world’s population, is affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to a drastic depletion of certain species. Selective forms of fishing which discard much of what they collect continue unabated. Particularly threatened are marine organisms which we tend to overlook, like some forms of plankton; they represent a significant element in the ocean food chain, and species used for our food ultimately depend on them.” [40]

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, roughly three billion people depend on seafood as their primary source of protein, particularly in developing countries. That’s why fishing practices like overfishing, dynamite fishing, and bycatch — the incidental catch of non-target species — are so destructive. Pope Francis’ effort to call attention to this problem reflects his understanding that sustainable fishing is, at its root, a food security issue as much as an environmental one.

Loss of marine biodiversity

“In tropical and subtropical seas, we find coral reefs comparable to the great forests on dry land, for they shelter approximately a million species, including fish, crabs, mollusks, sponges and algae. Many of the world’s coral reefs are already barren or in a state of constant decline.” [41]

“Wetlands converted into cultivated land lose the enormous biodiversity which they formerly hosted. In some coastal areas the disappearance of ecosystems sustained by mangrove swamps is a source of serious concern.” [39]

Biodiversity is a mark of a healthy, productive, and balanced ecosystem. Coral reefs and coastal mangrove ecosystems are among the most biodiverse environments on the planet, but as pollution, acidification, warming, and habitat destruction take their toll, the resources these special ecosystems provide deteriorate too. Healthy mangroves, for example, protect against storm surges, serve as habitat for commercially important seafood, and fight climate change by storing carbon.

***

With a reminder that “the oceans not only contain most of the planet, but also most of the wide variety of living things,” Pope Francis’s encyclical is a wake up call for all humanity to serve as responsible stewards not just of our lands and atmosphere, but of our vast blue realm as well.

Elise Shulman is a communications associate for Oceans at the Center for American Progress. Michael Conathan, also of the Center, contributed to this report.

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Cancer-Causing Chemicals Found In Drinking Water Near Texas Fracking Sites

Scientists have found elevated levels of cancer-causing chemicals in the drinking water in North Texas’ Barnett Shale region — where a fracking boom has sprouted more than 20,000 oil and gas wells.

Researchers from the University of Texas, Arlington tested water samples from public and private wells collected over the past three years and found elevated levels of heavy metals, such as arsenic. Their findings, released Wednesday, showed elevated levels of 19 different chemicals including the so-called BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes) compounds.

Heavy metals are toxic when ingested, and BTEX compounds are considered carcinogenic when ingested. Exposure to BTEX compounds is also associated with effects on the respiratory and central nervous system. The study found elevated levels of toxic methanol and ethanol, as well.

The researchers were clear that they had not determined the source of the metals and chemicals. However, they noted that “many of the compounds we detected are known to be associated with [fracking] techniques,” and said the data support further research on the potential of fracking contamination.

In hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, oil and gas deposits in underground shale are extracted by forcing a mix of water and chemicals at high pressure into the earth.

According to the study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, chemical leaks can occur when well casings fail. Some estimates show this happens in approximately 3 percent of new gas well operations, but the researchers point out that recent data indicate well casing failure rates closer to 12 percent within the first year of well operation.

The risk of water contamination from fracking remains largely unknown. Dr. Kevin Schug, who led the UT study, told ThinkProgress that research funding remains a major hurdle.

“It’s challenging, but it’s necessary. The only way to really know the story is to keep doing these thing and keep doing them over time,” he said.

To date, this is “the most comprehensive groundwater study in connection to this whole process,” Schug said.

The study comes on the heels of a broad Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, which concluded that fracking has not led to “widespread, systemic” water contamination. While the report was touted by oil and gas interests as saying fracking is safe, it did find several specific instances of contamination from fracking and concluded that fracking creates several key vulnerabilities that could potentially undermine the health of drinking water in the United States.

Some environmentalists criticized the report, saying the EPA’s data was incomplete. “The EPA found disturbing evidence of fracking polluting our water despite not looking very hard. This study was hobbled by the oil industry’s refusal to provide key data,” Kassie Siegel, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an emailed statement to ThinkProgress.

The results of an investigation into the causes of two chemical spills in Arlington, Texas, also came out this week. The investigators found that the spills, which prompted the evacuation of nearly 100 homes near a Vantage Energy fracking site, were caused by the company’s faulty equipment. The results also revealed that the 911 call, made as chemical-laced water rushed down Arlington’s streets, originated from Vantage’s headquarters in Pennsylvania.

Oil and gas is big business in Texas, which passed a law this year that prevents towns and cities from banning fracking. Denton, which is located in the Barnett Shale region, was forced to revoke its ban — the first in Texas — this week, citing the cost of litigation.

This post has been updated with comments from Dr. Kevin Schug.

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The EPA Just Cracked Down On Carbon Emissions From Big Trucks

The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation released a new proposal for combating emissions from heavy duty trucks on Friday, a proposal the agencies estimate will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about one billion metric tons.

Unlike the federal government’s rules for cars and light trucks, this proposal doesn’t focus on miles per gallon as a way of measuring efficiency for heavy trucks — a category that includes tractor trailers, garbage trucks, school buses, and heavy-duty personal vehicles like Ford F-350s.

“The magical ‘miles per gallon’ is just not a meaningful metric for these standards,” Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said in a press call Friday. “We don’t measure the fuel efficiency that way for these vehicles.”

Instead, the proposed rule focuses on trucks’ performance standards, or the amount of work they do hauling loads and how efficient they are at it. It lays out the drop in emissions that would happen under the regulations, and also estimates the cost associated with that drop. According to the agencies, the one billion metric ton drop in greenhouse gas emissions would cut fuel costs from heavy trucks by about $170 billion and would reduce oil consumption by up to 1.8 billion barrels. These emissions reductions, the agencies say, are “nearly equal to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use by all U.S. residences in one year.”

The rule would cover trucks rolled out between 2021 and 2017, and would call for up to a 24 percent drop in carbon emissions and fuel consumption from these trucks, compared to 2018 models.

According to the EPA, medium and heavy duty cars and trucks make up 20 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation in the U.S., even though they only make up about 5 percent of the vehicles on the road.

That’s not surprising considering the amount of fuel these trucks consume. According to a fact sheet from several different environmental groups, the truck fleet in the U.S. consumed about 2.7 million barrels of fuel each day in 2013, and emitted a total of 530 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. And those emissions are only expected to grow: the EPA predicts that, around the world, emissions from heavy duty trucks will surpass those from passenger vehicles by 2030.

EPA says that miles per gallon isn’t a good measure of truck efficiency under this rule, but the average miles per gallon for big trucks is low: about five to six mpg for an average tractor trailer.

The agencies said in the press call that, to comply with the rule, truck owners would be relying on existing technology and new technology that’s expected to come out in the next few years. The Union of Concerned Scientists put out a report in March that argued that “the average new truck” could reduce its fuel use by 40 percent by using technologies that are already on the market.

UCS said in a statement that it was glad that the federal government was tackling truck emissions, but that it thought the proposal could have gone further.

“Today’s proposed standards are a step in the right direction and would save the trucking industry billions of dollars in fuel, savings which can be passed down to consumers,” Dave Cooke, vehicles analyst at the UCS’s Clean Vehicles Program said in a statement. “But we believe the rule could deliver even greater fuel savings and emissions reductions sooner. Moving more quickly to fully deploy technologies now entering or already in the market could save an additional 100,000 barrels per day or more by 2040.”

The EPA is opening the comment period on the proposal, and will also be holding public hearings in the coming months. The proposal could see some pushback from the trucking industry, though some companies have already pledged their support for emissions regulation.

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The post The EPA Just Cracked Down On Carbon Emissions From Big Trucks appeared first on ThinkProgress.